ROCKFORD — State test scores were released today, launching the annual frenzy of comparison among schools and districts, of which parents were warned to take with a grain of salt.

The results — released today for all public schools and school districts — are more helpful for administrators, curriculum planners and teachers than parents, educators said, whose main concern should be individual student growth.

The Illinois Standards Achievement Test, taken by third through eighth graders, and the Prairie State Achievement Exam, taken by high school juniors, provide "snapshot-in-time" looks at student knowledge on a handful of days in March.

That's good for schools to know, educators said. Teachers in grades that fail to meet state standards year-over-year need to know that strategies are not working.

Where the testing information is less helpful, especially for parents, is when performance of one year's third graders is compared to the performance of another year's third graders, a completely different set of students.

"Take into account that these scores are changing," Fanello said. "I wouldn't judge the instruction at one school solely by the ISAT or PSAE score. ... I would encourage parents to get a broader picture, and most get that at parent-teacher conferences."

Data that reflects individual student growth year-over-year is vital, said Dan Woestman, Rockford School District assistant superintendent of accountability. It allows parents and teachers to know if students are gaining at least one grade level a year.

"Publicly, as an aggregate, (ISAT and PSAE) is probably most helpful to people in education, not parents," Woestman said. "Parents will want to know what their child's individual score was and information relating to their child's progress."

"The information that we get back from the state on ISAT and PSAE is actually very limited," said Steve Baule, superintendent of the North Boone School District. "What most parents want to know is 'How is my child doing?' ... We have better tools to show that growth over time."

To paint a broader picture of school performance, the state will launch its new report card today at illinoisreportcard.com.

Education leaders are calling the searchable database more consumer friendly than report cards of previous years.

The report cards also include information about school climate, college and career readiness and demographics. This year's website also will include new academic growth information by school.